Southern Boy Charm | ✓

Chapter 13

"Where are we going?" I ask as we run from the barn towards the tree line. His strong, calloused hand holds mine as he leads me along, and I can't help but enjoy his touch a little too much.

He whips his head back towards me as he runs, a large boyish smile on his face. "You'll see."

This Nick is such a change from what I'm used to seeing, so happy, that I almost stop dead in his tracks. Last night we were arguing, and now this? I'm the reason? Surely it couldn't be. I know that Nick cared about me now, but enough to cause his whole mood to shift for what felt like the first time in forever? There's no way that I am capable of causing such a dramatic change.

By now we've passed the tree line and are deep into the forest. He's let off the speed a little bit, taking the time to move branches out of the way for us, but still not slow enough to let me catch my breath. His stamina is impeccable, and I can't help but wonder how that would translate to other activities.

Stop. Don't think of him like that. We've only kissed once, but after how close we were and how much he affected me, I can't help my brain from wondering about more.

He cuts off my thoughts when he considerably slows down. I bump into his back, not anticipating his change in speed, and falter, almost losing my balance.

He quickly whirls around, placing both of his hands on my bare arms to steady me. "Easy," he whispers into my ear, and I almost melt.

My mind is so foggy that I can barely think, and before I can catch my bearings, he's behind me, covering my eyes with his hands. "Close your eyes," he says. I can feel his breath on my neck and my heart beats so fast that I'm surprised it is still in my chest. What is he doing to me?

I close my eyes and he leads me forward. We move slowly, the path too littered with rocks and cracks. He can tell that I am afraid of tripping because he says, "You can trust me Leighton, I won't let you fall," and I realize that I do, in fact, trust him, so I speed up my pace. We take a turn and walk for a minute or so more before he stops me.

"Are you ready?" he asks, and I nod my head viciously. I've never been great at surprises and the curiosity alone is killing me, not even factoring in Nick's close proximity.

Suddenly, my eyes are uncovered. In front of me is a rickety rope bridge that hangs over a stream. It has wooden planks for the floor, and it doesn't look the safest. The wood has been worn down by water damage and looks as if any false move could make it fall apart.

But what's on the other side of the bridge-of-doom is what really catches my eye. It's a tree house. The house is made of wooden planks with a worn wood door at the center and windows on either side. It's attached to the tree via a wooden platform and I'm surprised that the wooden supports connecting the platform are enough to support it. It's old, peculiar, and absolutely perfect.

"If you don't like it it's fine," he mumbles. "I just used to come here a lot when I was a kid if I needed somewhere to think and I know that sometimes the farm can seem pretty small," he rambles on, and I almost want to take him out of his misery, but it's too entertaining.

"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, it's pretty stupid. If you want we can go back and-"

I cut him off. "I love it," I say, and I really mean it. The boyish smile on his face is more than enough validation.

"Is this bridge safe?" I ask, stopping at the threshold as he makes his way across. "Because it doesn't feel too sturdy."

"Come on, you worry too much," he calls over his shoulder. And while that could be true, the bridge in front of me was nothing short of a death trap. I don't want to disappoint him, I know how much it means to him to share this with me, but the walk across the bridge is a long trek that I'm unwilling to make.